[[Steve Dalton]] [[lit/kindle/The 2-Hour Job Search, Second Edition|Highlights]] 2HJS prescribes a rapid approach to job searching, recognizing that job applications not only take a little bit of time but also a shred of your soul, each and every time. > See the book's appendix for a step-by-step process overview. Starting with 40-100 potential employers, prioritize to get your top 5 based on - advocacy: can you find people within the company to advocate for you? - motivation: are you motivated to pursue the company? - postings: are they hiring? Reach out to one person from each top 5 company for an informational interview. Focus on people in relevant roles, 1-2 positions above your desired role, with tenure at the company. Reach out with the "6-point Email". Address them by their first name. State your connection first. Don't mention the job; ask for insights and advice instead. Write primarily about them. Keep it less than 75 words. Include a clear call to action (a question ending in a question mark). Email is preferred to LinkedIn message; use [hunter.io](https://hunter.io) to find and validate email addresses. If you don't hear back after 3 business days, try someone else at the company. Follow up after 7 business days (don't guilt trip them, just continue the conversation). You can expand past the top 5 after you identify a true "Booster" (someone willing to help you land a role), you rule out the company, or you have enough time to manage additional outreach. Keep anyone you've contacted in regular rotation with life updates. (This is easiest if you've established some common ground in the informational.) Prep sufficiently for informational interviews by briefly researching the company, prepping canned responses to questions about yourself, and figuring out what you want to get out of the conversation. Start with small talk, then discuss trends, insights, advice, resources and assignments. Close with the Two Part Closing. First thank them for their time and get agreement to reach back out later. Then, later, reach back out with an ask. Use job boards primarily to assess whether companies are hiring. You can apply after a week of unsuccessful outreach or just before a hard deadline, but you might be better off just taking some time to recuperate instead.